A hybrid vehicle is well known that includes an engine and an electric motor as a drive power source for running, an engine connecting/disconnecting clutch connecting/disconnecting a power transmission path between the engine and the electric motor, and an automatic transmission coupled to the electric motor side to transmit the power from the drive power source for running toward drive wheels. For example, this corresponds to hybrid vehicles described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Such a hybrid vehicle can generally perform engine running including the engine as the drive power source for running, i.e., hybrid running using at least the engine as the drive power source for running with the engine connecting/disconnecting clutch engaged, and motor running using only the electric motor as the drive power source for running with the engine connecting/disconnecting clutch released. Therefore, switching from the engine running (hybrid running) to the motor running may cause an uncomfortable feeling associated with release of the engine connecting/disconnecting clutch. In this regard, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, various control methods are proposed for transition from the hybrid running to the motor running without an uncomfortable feeling. For example, Patent Document 3 proposes that a change in torque associated with release of the engine connecting/disconnecting clutch is compensated by an output torque of an electric motor (electric motor torque) during transition from the hybrid running to the motor running.
For transition from the hybrid running to the motor running without an uncomfortable feeling, for example, it is conceivable that a decrease in a clutch passing torque (i.e., a passing torque that is an engine torque passing through the engine connecting/disconnecting clutch toward an automatic transmission) associated with release of the engine connecting/disconnecting clutch is compensated by an electric motor torque to achieve a target value of a transmission input torque (synonymous with a drive torque in this case) set depending on an accelerator operation. In other words, it is conceivable that the electric motor torque (=target transmission input torque−clutch passing torque) is set so as to realize the target transmission input torque.